Composite identification card

ABSTRACT

A pouch having at least one side transparent so as to visually expose material inserted in the pouch, and the pouch formed of two sheets united by bonding around the edges. The bonded edges are sufficiently stiff such that cutting away part of the edge leaves tab sections remaining which serve to identify the contents of the pouch for use in data machines.

lUnite States Patent UDMPOSITE IDENTIFICATION CARD 2 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

ILLS. Cl 161/44, 40/22, 156/213, 156/220, 156/277, 156/289,

lint. Cl G091 3/02, B32b 3/02 [50] FieldofSearch 161/44, 45, 149,413; 156/213, 277, 290, 220, 289; 40/22; 101/369; 209/805 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,802,418 8/1957 Carver et a1. 156/220 X 2,898,257 8/1959 Carver 40/2.2 X 3,068,140 12/1962 Biddle 1 40/22 X 3,359,985 12/1967 Luscher... 209/805 X 3,388,661 6/1968 Decof 156/213 X Primary Examiner-John T. Goolkasian Assistant Examiner-Joseph C. Gil Attorneys-Russell L. Root and Ray S. Pyie ABSTRACT: A pouch having at least one side transparent so as to visually expose material inserted in the pouch, and the pouch formed of two sheets united by bonding around the edges. The bonded edges are sufficiently stiff such that cutting away part of the edge leaves tab sections remaining which serve to identify the contents of the pouch for use in data machines.

ICUMIPUSIITE lilDlEhl'llllll llCATllUN CAliilD RELATED PATENTS This application is adivision of application Ser. No. 592, 169, filed Nov. 4, l966,now issued as 11.5. Pat. No. 3,475,247.

BACKGRUUND OF THE INVENTION The metal address machine plate so familiar for many years in addressing machines, was adopted and has now become widely used as a personal identification device in the form of plastic cards embossed with letters and insignia to identify a particular person authorized to receive credit.

mation needed for print out together withadvertising or other indicia which is not encoded onto the memo.

In particular, it has been a recent development in business circles to provide identification cards for employees in a business enterprise, or for students in a university, and people in other similar circumstances. These cards not only identify the person, preferably by means of a photograph, but in addition are embossed with the desired encoding material. Thus, a person properly identified may also use the card to fill out required forms such as attendance forms and payroll slips. Other uses will suggest themselves and be quite apparent.

identification and credit cards bearing a photograph are expensive, and are particularly expensive if the card must be updated from time to time, for changing of address or for revalidating.

In accordance with this and other objects which will become apparent hereinafter, the best mode contemplated for the present invention is disclosed in the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. l is a plan view of a sheet of clear embossable plastic material withphantom outline areas indicating the presence of printed parting agent areas and trim lines;

FIG. 2 is a partial section greatly enlarged taken substantially along the line Ill-2 oflFlG. ll;

FIG. 3 is a section taken along the line 3-3 of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a fragment of the section of FIG. 3 as it appears after being embossed through that section;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a completed cover pocket prior to insertion of an identification card; and

FIG. 6 is a plan view, partly broken away, of an identification card bearing a photograph of the authorized person.

DESCRHWION 01F PREFERRED EMBODlMENT The preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawing is made by the steps of providing a base sheet Ml of clear plastic material which is capable of being heat sealed.

to another sheet of material, and also capable of being. embossed by equipment normally used to emboss opaque plastic credit cards. The nature of the sheet lit) must besuch that the embossing will withstand repeated use in an encoding machine of well-known types normally used to encode information from personal credit cards. The type of plastic material is not specified because it may be selected from a number of different materials made by various manufacturers and readily selectable by anyone reasonably skilled in the art.

The base sheet 10 is coated with parting material in imprint areas 12 by printing techniques. in the FIG. 2, the parting material in the imprint area is indicated ingreatly exaggerated thickness by cross section lines proceeding away from the surface of the base sheet W. The material imprinted into the areas 12 is a parting agent which. will prevent heat and pressure sealing of the sheet 10 to another sheet, even though the other sheet may be the identical type of material and normally readily heat scalable. Waxes and soap are examples of materials suitable for such purposes, and may be selected from a wide range of available materials. For example, a light emulsion of ordinary floor was will sufiiice, The parting material is to be transparent after the welding and separating operation in order to ofier no impairment of the sheet transparency.

The sheet 10 is capable of being produced in large sizes on conventional printing presses in order to create a multiple number of the imprint areas 12. Then, a cover sheet lid is placed in superposed relationship with the sheet ill and the two sheets are subjected to heat and pressure in a flatbed press. The heat and pressure is sufficient to cause the areas outside of the coated area, where the two sheets come into direct contact, to blend into substantially one homogenous mass. The parting agent, however, prevents welding of the imprint area.

The cover sheet lid may also be selected to fulfill particular needs. in the FIGS. 3 and d, the sheet lid is shown as being thinner than the sheet til. it is desirable in many instances to make sheet 1141 of considerably thinner stock than sheet 10. The embossing of the finished jacket will produce an embossing area on the sheet lltl suitable to withstand the crushing forces of encoding. The act of encoding sheet ll ll will emboss the sheet lid and cause projections to extend into the pocket of the finished structure. However, the sheet M is flexible and thin enough that the embossing will not withstand pressure. Thus, whenever a paper identification card is used in the finished pocket, the paper is stronger than the embossing in sheet 1141, and the pressure of encoding will flatten the remnant of encoded area on the sheet 1 1 and not cause undue marking or deterioration of the enclosed identification card. The sheet 114i may be chosen in cloudy or opaque material rather than clear, in order to make a more pleasing back surface which does not reveal the back of an identification card carried therein.

After the sheet lid is placed upon the base sheet it) and subjected to the pressure and temperature referred to for welding the uncoatedareas, the resultant product is a large sheet of composite nature wherein unbondedl areas are completely outlined by bonded areas.

In FIGS. 3 and d, the sections indicate that the cover sheet lid bulges outwardly over the areas 12 to accommodate the parting material. This is necessary in any practical illustration, but in actual practice the areas iii are so extremely thin that there is no perceptible change in thickness from the border areas to the unsealed areas. This fact is. a condition to be especially desired. Prior art devices have employed outline dies in.

the desired form of the card. Such dies produce a change in thicknessin the area of sealing, and hence produce an area which fails in service. The present invention is highly desirable in that the change in thickness from the welded. tothe unwelded area isessentially nonexistent and, therefore, a point of weakness is avoided. Thus, the pocket of the present invention has been proven to withstand infinitely more bends and stresses such as a card receives in a billfold or purse, than the previous devices made by local sealing techniques.

The reference character in indicates a line spaced around three sides of the coated area along which an individual unit may be severed from this large composite sheet. The line to is coincidental with the coated area outline along one end of the area 12. Thus, the severed section removed from the large composite section will have a sealed border ll around three sides and an unsealed mouth portion .20 where the severing coincides with the area H2. in severing along the mouth edge wherein the line is exactly coincidental with the termination of the imprint area 12, the action of severing will tend to separate the two sheets a slight amount, and although normally the degree of separation varies from card to card, and is usually somewhat irregular, the line 22 suggests the extent of an area of partial separation. This partial separation makes possible the facile insertion of a flat identification card without the problem of attempting to find the division line between the closely positioned base lb and cover sheet M.

Although a great variety of possible inserts are available to use in the pocket thus created, one of the most useful combinations is a photograph of the person together with pertinent data which is not necessarily desired to be encoded into every form in which the identification card is to be inserted. For example, a Polaroid (registered trademark) camera has been devised which will photograph a card of information and the person simultaneously and produce a finished color print of the person and the information within 1 minute. This identification card is highly suitable for use in combination with the pocket described, and the pocket described will provide not only the'available encoding information, but will protect the color photograph and identification area against being marred in storage or in use. After the card is installed in the case, it may be locked in place by a rivet or other means.

in FIG. 1, one of the printed sections 12 is shown to have a series of side areas 26 which extend out beyond the severing outline 16. This particular area, when severed from the large sheet, will thus provide a series of small entrance openings. Identification tabs placed in these openings will enable a pocket made by this method to be classified for rapid identification, or to identify to sensing devices of handling equipment.

Whereas the present invention has been shown and described herein in what is conceived to be the best mode contemplated, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention which is, therefore, not to be limited to the details disclosed herein, but is to be afforded the full scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

1 claim:

1. A composite identification card wherein two sheets of heat-weldable plastic are welded only along the edge portions, both said welded and unwelded portions of said sheets having equal cross-sectional thickness, and said welded portions having uniform cross-sectional configuration, a pocket area within the area outlined by said welded edge;

said sheets embossed with indicia means for service as a printing plate; and

an identification card positioned inside said pocket area.

2. A composite identification card wherein two sheets of plastic are joined by union of contiguous surfaces only along the edge portions, both said joined and unjoined portions of said sheets having equal cross-sectional thickness, and said joined portions having uniform cross-sectional configuration,

a pocket within the area outlined by said joined edges;

said sheets embossed with indicia means for service as a printing plate; and an identification card positioned inside said pocket area. 

2. A composite identification card wherein two sheets of plastic are joined by union of contiguous surfaces only along the edge portions, both said joined and unjoined portions of said sheets having equal cross-sectional thickness, and said joined portions having uniform cross-sectional configuration, a pocket within the area outlined by said joined edges; said sheets embossed with indicia means for service as a prInting plate; and an identification card positioned inside said pocket area. 